Mr. Speaker, last June several provinces rejected the proposal to replace the GST with an alternate tax put forward by the Liberal members of the finance committee. Faced with this absolute refusal, within 24 hours, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance had disowned the report tabled by their own people, thereby throwing people into total confusion with respect to their intentions.
Will the Minister of Finance recognize that, in response to this deadlock, he is now offering two choices to the provinces: either replace the GST with an 11 per cent Canadian tax on
goods and services, including food, health care and drugs, or increase instead the income tax rate of individuals who are already overburdened by taxation?